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Brooklyn, New
York
- The UWI (University of the West Indies) Arts Chorale and the UWI Steel Ensemble from Trinidad appeared in concert
as part of
their tour,
at the
Founders
Hall at St.
Francis
College -
located in
downtown
Brooklyn,
New York.
Their
performance
was simply
marvelous.
The concert
and tour are part of
the tenth
year
anniversary
celebrations
of the
musical
organizations’
founding.
According to
the concert
info, “10
years ago
the
University
of the West
Indies Arts
Chorale &
Steel Band
Ensemble
started this
programme as
two courses,
that has
turned into
a plethora
of
successful
concerts and
five
successful
musical
productions.
Ten years
later, they
celebrate
this
milestone
with their
second
international
Concert tour
with a trip
to St.
Francis
College.”
UWI
Arts
Chorale
on stage
at Founders
Hall,
St. Francis
Church,
Brooklyn
The chorale,
lead by its
co-director,
was
conducted by Jessel
Murray - who
also served
as Master of
Ceremonies -
and took the
audience on
a fantastic
musical
journey.
Jazz, Pop,
Calypso,
Gospel and
Caribbean
Folk songs
were all
part of the
varied music
genres
superbly
presented at
this event.
The harmonic
content,
rhythms and
sophisticated
delivery
presented a
unique
voice, sound
and
interpretations
to standards
in a manner
never heard
in these
parts
before.
Indeed, on
display was
the full
creative and
artistic
musical
genius of
the
Caribbean
artist
without
restrictions
or
undercover
apologies.
Jessel
Murray
addresses
the
audience
Under the
directive of
Jessel
Murray, the
combined UWI
Arts Chorale
and the UWI
Steel
Ensemble has
succeeded in
putting its
own
indelible
musical
stamp on a
collection
of classic
and folk
standards in
a manner
that is both
fresh and
thought-provoking.
Moreover,
the
performance
simultaneously
highlighted
the rich
culture and
immense
talent
that
continues to
emanate from
the
Caribbean.
We, the
audience,
were given
a short and
small
glimpse of
the massive
musical and
artist
talent being
produced at
UWI and in
the
Caribbean at
large.
From
spirituals
to calypso
to pop -
the UWI chorale
put its
indelible
stamp on
a slew of
classic and
folk
standards.
The chorale
demonstrated
its
versatility
to handle
a varied
number of
musical genres
superbly while
maintaining
its own
identity
and unique
style.
If you were
present
at the UWI
presentation
at St.
Francis you
were privy
to a command
performance.
The two-act
performance
allowed us
an
introspective
look into Trinidad
& Tobago’s
music
works of
traditional
Caribbean
folk songs.
The journey
continued
through
their
presentation
of the music
of
Calypso
artist and
composer
David
Rudder, that
of steelpan
music
composer
Ray Holman, the Beatles
(Yesterday),
and finally
the musical
works of
Andrew Lloyd
Webber.
The groups’
interpretation
at times
exhibited
a special
brand of
humour, wit
and rhythm.
Jessel
Murray
conducts
the
UWI Steel
Ensemble
at
Founders
Hall
This trip
has not
been without its
drama and
controversy.
“Unexpected
bureaucratic
difficulties”
as Murray so
diplomatically
put it,
plagued the
group from
the onset as
they were
forced to
leave
several
performing members of
the Steel
Ensemble
behind
in Trinidad, because of
“issues” not
expounded
upon by
the US
embassy in
Port-of-Spain.
He could
only say
that members
of the group
were denied
entrance
Visas into
the US
because of a
newspaper
article.
Even the
group’s drum set was
missing
throughout
the
performance.
Components of the
group’s
equipment
were held
over by
airport
security for
fear of ‘terrorist’
usage.
Jessel
Murray
and
the UWI
Arts
Chorale
at Founders
Hall
The
University
of the West
Indies is the
largest
overall
institution
of higher
learning in
the
Caribbean.
The
university
celebrated
sixty years
last year.
There are
three main
campuses
located on
the islands
of Trinidad,
Barbados and
Jamaica.
The choral
group and
steel
ensemble on
tour are out
of the
Trinidad
campus
located in
St.
Augustine.
They are
part of the
department
of Creative
and Festival
Arts - now
celebrating
twenty years
-
where
degrees in
music,
dance,
carnival
studies,
visual and
theatre arts
are offered.
According to
Mr. Murray,
the musical
arts program
offers
degrees in
voice,
steelpan
playing,
piano and
well as
percussion
studies.
The
instruments
for the
steelpan
ensemble are
tuned by the
master tuner
Wallace
Austin, who
previously
resided in
Brooklyn up
a few years
ago and
serviced the
New York pan
community.
The UWI
instruments
sounded
awesome.
The only
sour note of
this event
was the lack
of or
extremely
poor
publicity
and
promotion of
the event
and tour
itinerary
overall.
There is
absolutely
no doubt
this played
a large role
in the low
audience turn out.
When Steel
Talks found
out about
the
performance
only by mere
chance.
Imagine if
the person
or persons
responsible
for
publicizing
the tour,
had the
presence of
mind to even
contact the
national
morning
Television
shows
headquartered
in New York,
and arrange
even a brief
appearance
as a
visiting
group.
However,
the audience
fortunate
enough to be
on hand left
no doubt as
to how
extremely
pleased they
were with
the performances.
The Show
In his
capacity as
Master of
Ceremonies,
Jessel
Murray
informed the
audience
that the
program
would
include sets of
choral
music, sets
of steel
orchestra
music,
classical
pieces,
calypso and
soca, reggae,
pop and
jazz.
ACT One
Jessel
Murray
conducts
the
UWI Arts
Chorale
at
Founders
Hall
This segment
featured
three choral
pieces - two
of which
were from
Venezuela,
one a “Pasahe” - a song that
imitates
the sounds of
instruments.
The
well-loved
spiritual- a song that
imitates
the sounds of
instruments.
The
well-loved
spiritual “Lift Every
Voice” was
included
in this Act.
The Steelpan
Ensemble
followed
with an
‘adaptation
from the
melodies’
from the
“Poet and
Peasant
Overture,”
variations
on Mozart’s
“Eine Kleine Nachtmusikk.”
ACT Two
UWIUWI
Arts
Chorale
performs
Trinidad
& Tobago
folk
songs
at Founders
Hall
As Murray
explained, Act 2 would
take
the audience
from
Trinidad
and Tobago Folk,
Caribbean
music and
Calypso -
all the way to a
marriage
of chorus and
steel on
‘Broadway.’
The choir
opened with an
adaptation
of David
Rudder’s “Calypso
Music” in a
Calypso/Soca
format (the music
of Trinidad
and Tobago).
A moving
rendition of
the
Jamaican
folk song “Sammy Dead,”
the humorous
“Nah Go Marry”
and the
universally
liked “Mango,”
all laced
with traditional
calypso
movements,
followed.
These four
consecutive
Caribbean
pieces were a
live and
unplugged,
educational
class in the
heart
and soul
of the musical
tapestry
and timeline of
the Calypso
genre.
Call and
response,
counterpoint,
overlay and
of course
storytelling - it
was all
there.
The Spyro
Gyra anthem
“Morning
Dance” was
also storied
in steel.
Under the baton
of Jessel
Murray,
the performances
from the
two ensembles
were high-level
and professional. They allowed the audience a fantastic
musical
experience
that was
one not
to be missed.
Contact
Jessel
Murray:
jmurray@tstt.net.tt;
jessel.murray@sta.uwi.edu
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